The Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello is an astounding masterpiece that combines the exceptional imagination of war with the beauty of geometric perspective. Notably, The Battle of San Romano is part of a series of three large panels depicting different episodes of the 1432 battle between Florence and Siena. This particular work, Niccolò da Tolentino Leads the Florentine Troops, is housed in the National Gallery, London. The other two works in the series include The Count
Tucked unassumingly in a corner of the National Gallery’s collection, Jan Brueghel the Elder’s The Adoration of the Kings arrests my eyes with an almost otherworldly luminosity. At its heart lies a humble thatched hut — the most exquisitely rendered building I have ever encountered in an artwork. What first strikes me is its unique palette and texture: a tapestry of yellows, shifting in tone from the creamy eggshell to the verdant shimmer of jade, all enchanted by warm, golde
I haven’t explained to many people why my English name is Mark. In fact, the reason I chose “Mark” is because I see a strong similarity between myself and Mark Rothko. Rothko’s large-scale, “singular” color abstract oil paintings often astonish the general public, who frequently question, “Are you sure these are artworks? It’s just color! I could do that too.” My friend, before jumping to this hasty conclusion, why not listen to something I want to share—and then reconsider?
